Oxbridge

[ oks-brij ]

/ ˈɒksˌbrɪdʒ /

Chiefly British

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noun

Oxford or Cambridge University, or both, especially in contrast with the redbrick universities of England.

upper-class intellectual life in England, as felt to be under the influence of Oxford and Cambridge universities: a bitter attack on Oxbridge by the younger writers.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Oxford and Cambridge, or of upper-class, intellectual traditions or manners associated with these universities: a career formerly open only to Oxbridge graduates; to voice the proper Oxbridge sentiments.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Oxbridge

oxblood, oxbow, oxbow chest, oxbow front, oxbow lake, Oxbridge, oxcart, oxen, Oxenstierna, oxeye, ox-eyed

How to use Oxbridge in a sentence

Oxbridge friend declines my invitation to "dine in Hall," and disappears.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 93, October 15th 1887|Various
And, without removing his hobnails, or his corduroys, he sprang lightly into the Oxbridge racing-boat.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 102, April 9th, 1892|Various
She found two unmistakable bills from Oxbridge beside her plate, and her father was "horrid" at breakfast.
Marriage|H. G. Wells
The middle part of this evaded triad was now being taken up in Marjorie's case by the Oxbridge tradespeople.
Marriage|H. G. Wells

Marjorie received the news of her severance from-182- Oxbridge, Mrs. Pope thought, with a certain hardness.
Marriage|H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for Oxbridge

Oxbridge

/ (ˈɒksˌbrɪdʒ) /

noun

the British universities of Oxford and Cambridge, esp considered as ancient and prestigious academic institutions, bastions of privilege and superiority, etc
(as modifier)Oxbridge graduates

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012